I did a poor job of preparing for Halloween this year by not pre-sorting the
candy. Normally I will cherry-pick some good stuff and set it aside so if we run
short it will still be available to distribute, but this year it seemed like
most of it was pretty good stuff so I didn't bother. Now I find myself saddled
with the oddly homogeneous leftovers of mostly Skittles and Starburst. I would
prefer some other treats to start with, but those two candies in particular are
tough for me to get excited about, as back in the days when I worked at MTV we
had a couple of occasions when we were given huge boxes of them for free as part
of those promotions where you'd win your own town, a new car, and a year's
supply of Skittles. Something I learned at that time is that I can't eat too
much of that stuff or I get a weird flush from something (probably the sugar,
but these are the only candies I've ever experienced this with). The other thing
I learned was that Starburst is basically edible Playdough (okay *especially*
edible Playdough), so maybe I'll emulate the creativity of the folks from the
promo department back in the day and use it for sculpture. Their masterpiece
from back in the day was the Starburst Duckbilled Platypus, which I can't
believe does not reside in a museum.

nin wrote on Nov 17, 2013, 13:16 I have a friend/coworker who discovered, out of that blue, that he has a gluten allergy. Which is pretty much all:i bread/breading. He was already a diabetic, so he jokes about being one food allergy away from starving to death. I really feel bad for him, as I can't imagine living w/o bread, and anytime we go out for lunch, he has to make sure wherever we're going has something he can eat, as well as attentive staff that knows what they're doing (sometimes he'll ask for a gluten free menu (or if something is gluten free) and the waiter/waitress just looks like they have no idea what he's talking about - which doesn't inspire confidence when the food shows up!).

I'm lucky that my reaction is fairly minor in comparison to some. If I drink a lot of water it really helps clear me up. Not sure if that would help your friend or not, I'd hate to have the gluten allergy as well. I've read some things saying that GMO's are partly to blame, but even the Organic stuff gives me reactions.

Fool wrote on Nov 17, 2013, 03:18:It's in pretty much anything in the store, from loaves of bread to potato chips cooked in corn oil, to corn meal on the bottom of some pizzas, to hidden in things like dextrose and other things that are in every food on the shelf. I luckily don't die and I cheat pretty often but I regret it the next day usually.

I have a friend/coworker who discovered, out of that blue, that he has a gluten allergy. Which is pretty much all bread/breading. He was already a diabetic, so he jokes about being one food allergy away from starving to death. I really feel bad for him, as I can't imagine living w/o bread, and anytime we go out for lunch, he has to make sure wherever we're going has something he can eat, as well as attentive staff that knows what they're doing (sometimes he'll ask for a gluten free menu (or if something is gluten free) and the waiter/waitress just looks like they have no idea what he's talking about - which doesn't inspire confidence when the food shows up!).

It's in pretty much anything in the store, from loaves of bread to potato chips cooked in corn oil, to corn meal on the bottom of some pizzas, to hidden in things like dextrose and other things that are in every food on the shelf. I luckily don't die and I cheat pretty often but I regret it the next day usually.

Skyfall was pretty bad but Bond movies always boomerang between good and bad. Craig makes a good Bond but he's constantly held back by poor direction and script. Looking forward to seeing what they do with it next, so long as it doesn't involve Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist.

Fool wrote on Nov 16, 2013, 16:42:I had that same flushing reaction with Skittles and came to discover that I have a allergy/sensitivity to Corn, particularly the corn syrup in skittles. Corn syrup is in most everything but I always had that crazy reaction to Skittles long before I knew of my corn allergy. My corn reactions are: itching, flushing, "brain fog" headaches, stomach aches, and a racing heart rate. Hope that doesn't sound like what you have, because it sucks and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Wow...that sounds like a ton of stuff to avoid.

Yea,.,...Skiltles just give me magic spit.....the awesome colored loogie spit that you can sit over a sibling and spit it 1 inch from their face and suck it back up.....otherwise, I am not a fan of Skittles.

The berry skittles are tasty...but I ate so much of the classic skittles as a kid that I can't stand them now.

Fool wrote on Nov 16, 2013, 16:42:I had that same flushing reaction with Skittles and came to discover that I have a allergy/sensitivity to Corn, particularly the corn syrup in skittles. Corn syrup is in most everything but I always had that crazy reaction to Skittles long before I knew of my corn allergy. My corn reactions are: itching, flushing, "brain fog" headaches, stomach aches, and a racing heart rate. Hope that doesn't sound like what you have, because it sucks and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Wow...that sounds like a ton of stuff to avoid.

Yea,.,...Skiltles just give me magic spit.....the awesome colored loogie spit that you can sit over a sibling and spit it 1 inch from their face and suck it back up.....otherwise, I am not a fan of Skittles.

Fool wrote on Nov 16, 2013, 16:42:I had that same flushing reaction with Skittles and came to discover that I have a allergy/sensitivity to Corn, particularly the corn syrup in skittles. Corn syrup is in most everything but I always had that crazy reaction to Skittles long before I knew of my corn allergy. My corn reactions are: itching, flushing, "brain fog" headaches, stomach aches, and a racing heart rate. Hope that doesn't sound like what you have, because it sucks and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

I had that same flushing reaction with Skittles and came to discover that I have a allergy/sensitivity to Corn, particularly the corn syrup in skittles. Corn syrup is in most everything but I always had that crazy reaction to Skittles long before I knew of my corn allergy. My corn reactions are: itching, flushing, "brain fog" headaches, stomach aches, and a racing heart rate. Hope that doesn't sound like what you have, because it sucks and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Starburst, for some reason, was the candy of choice in our office when I was deployed to an HQ in Afghanistan. We would buy huge bags and portion them out according to which flavors were whose favorites. Every once in a while we'd order the non-regular flavors like tropical or whatever, and it would be an "occasion." I will never be able to think of Starburst without thinking of Kabul anymore.

Something I learned at that time is that I can't eat too much of that stuff or I get a weird flush from something

I anticipate a Dr Toothy post in a month or sos time, maybe less.

edit:

James Bond producer, MGM acquire '007' movie rights. Finally!!!

While Casino Royale (that is to say, the first Craig movie, and not the other) isn't my favorite, they've been on quite a roll since they brought Craig in...can't wait for the next one, though I worry it might be hard to top.

Yeah, Casino Royale and Skyfall were great, but Q of S was just kind of meh. But I agree he's a great Bond. Also, (spoilers) I'm going to miss Judy Dench. She was so awesome as M. Although Ralph Fiennes is no slouch.

Something I learned at that time is that I can't eat too much of that stuff or I get a weird flush from something

I anticipate a Dr Toothy post in a month or sos time, maybe less.

edit:

James Bond producer, MGM acquire '007' movie rights. Finally!!!

While Casino Royale (that is to say, the first Craig movie, and not the other) isn't my favorite, they've been on quite a roll since they brought Craig in...can't wait for the next one, though I worry it might be hard to top.